drillwizzard

[gary butcher]

So I finally picked up a Oneway DrillWizzard today, very nice little thing.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/graphics/photos/tools/onwydwrvu/onwydwlead400x354.jpg

Of course it comes with a 1" tool post which is way too big for my mini lathe so I drilled out the mounting hole to allow my small tool post through and put a nut on the end. Not as elegant as the supplied one but at least I can use it on my lathe now.

Luckily it turns out that one of my little routers (trend T3) has a 43mm collar so it fits the drillwizzard. This means I can do small circle routing just by plunging the router into the blank and hand turn the lathe chuck to get the exact depth and width I want with less hassle than a small circle router jig with better accuracy than I can get turning, as well as being able to drill with it.

It's decent quality, very hefty with smooth motion. The depth stop is nasty and cheap and it would have been much better if they used a wing nut to lock the stop in place rather than the supplied hex nut. As it is you need a spanner to tighten it or it just loosens itself. I want to shim it up a little to remove the slack in the handle mechanism and maybe add some springs for stability in motion for delicate operations. Not really necessary for it's intended use as a drill holder, for routing it needs better accuracy and as little play as possible.

It would be nice if they offered it with different tool post sizes as that, for many, will be the limiting factor. I imagine there are many more mini/midi lathes around than full-sized ones which is what this fits. Other than that it's great. If you do have a smaller lathe and don't mind a bit of DIY to adapt it to fit, it's nice and does the job.

*edit*
I just put a wingnut and washer on the stop and it works perfectly now, locking the adjuster nicely in place.

[David E Keller]

Looks pretty cool. I have no experience with the tool but I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of the projects you turn with this.

[Richard Madison]

Would also be interested in seeing the applications.

[Brian Millspaw]

I made a shop built version of this tool (pics later)
This is what I do with it

-Brian Millspaw
www.finewoodcarver.com (http://www.finewoodcarver.com)

[Brian Millspaw]

I made this from some kind of linear slide that I got at a flea market. The post is turned to fit the banjo and at a depth to keep the drill at center height. It's very accurate with no play in the mechanism. In fact the indexing on the lathe has more play. The only fuss was making sure that the drill is mounted inline with the slide.

I hope this is informative.

[Mike Minto]

i have had a drill wizard for a couple of years now. only used it a few times, but i do like it. think i'll try some of your modifications - it could use a little improvement, yes.

[Richard Madison]

Very interesting work Brian.

[Steve Hayes]

I've had one for a couple of months and its very handy. I use it with my
Alisam indexing setup on my Jet mini. Opens up a whole new world with turning.

[gary butcher]

it's a handy thing that's for sure. I do mostly headphones so I need accurate and repeatable insides and this will make life much easier for me. The trend router is a little underpowered so I'm going to make an adapter for my Bosch colt. My next lathe will have indexing so that will also make life easier for getting my drill holes lined up better

[Ryan Baker]

I have one of those too, and I am not impressed with it at all. I find it to be poorly designed, cheaply made, and generally not up to Oneway standards.

It is designed to clamp to the collar of a drill that is designed with a side handle. Never mind that a side handle generally means a 1/2" drill with a body that is too wide to fit in the jig. You'd better factor in the cost of a new drill with it, because it is unlikely you have something that will fit. Even after specifically picking up the narrowest-body drill I could find, I still had to add spacers to the mount, as did many other reviewers I saw. This mounting arrangement also results in a considerable amount of flexing/vibration if you are using a large bit.

The slides are pretty smooth. I can't complain much about that. But the handle is loose and sloppy. The "stop" is just a bolt screwed in the end with a jamb nut that won't stay in place at all.

With the body of the jig positioned over the tool post and a drill bit mounted, the range of positioning is pretty limited in that you can't get the banjo far enough away from the centerline of the spindle (unless you have a really large swing lathe).

This thing is obviously designed for drilling smallish holes in chair leg spindles and stuff like that. For those types of jobs it should work adequately. Frankly, you could do just as well with a simple wooden jig for a fraction of the cost.

[gary butcher]

Unfortunately the 43mm collar, for whatever reason, has never been standard here in the US. It's a normal standard everywhere else where there are a multitude of accessories to fit these collars. Most drills in the Eurozone are also slimmer than the ones here and will fit with no trouble at all. Also, with sizing, a 1/2" or 3/8 drill is what it's designed for. If you need more room you can mount the drill the other way around in the bracket with longer bits. It's 1" post indicates that a large banjo is assumed which should give enough room to use on a largish piece. I don't have a big lathe so don't know where it's limitations are.

With the ability to use a router in it (with 43mm collar like the Trend and Rotozip?) you have the ability to do some interesting patterning with an indexable lathe head. I normally work to a maximum of 5" round so the size isn't really a problem for me but then I knew exactly what I was going to use it for and knew it would work well for my needs.

Luckily the stop is an easy fix with a wingnut, the handle slop still needs to be addressed. I guess we all have different needs and expectations of these devices. I had the chance to give it a good bit of pre purchase playtime in the local woodcraft store so I knew exactly what I was getting and how I'd need to modify it for use on my rig.